Passersby in Kala Ghoda on Wednesday were shocked to see a bloodied woman hanging from a meat hook on the sidewalk. Flanking her on both sides were carcasses of pigs. Of course, everything from the blood to the carcasses were fake, but that didn't take the horror away from the sight - exactly what People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) intended.

"PETA wants to help everyone relate to the fate of animals whose throats are slit for what is, after all just a fleeting moment of flavour," PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura said in a statement.

The demonstration was part of PETA's efforts to convince people to stop and consider how their demand for animal-based foods leads to animals such as chickens, cows, pigs, cows and buffaloes being slaughtered for their meat.

As part of the demonstration, activists had arranged for a board that read, "Try to relate to their fate - Try Vegan".

The demonstration achieved some measure of success: college students and several passersby stopped by to ask what was happening. Many of them were shocked but their anxiety only proved that a large section of the population is still unaware of atrocities against animals and what it means to be a vegan.

However, whether this and other demonstrations are actually able to convert non-vegetarians and vegetarians into vegans is still debatable.